Friday, September 30, 2011

We are hearing reports from WeLoveDC's Dave Stroup that the campus has sent an SMS text and email to its students saying that a black male with a gun was seen on Georgetown Law's campus. Students have been advised to stay inside and away from windows.

We will keep you posted as we know more. For now, keep your distance from the police activity.

UPDATE: The Capitol Police have left the scene, saying they found no indication of a gunman on campus. A representative did say that a gun was found near a tree near First and Independence, but that it was not related to the Georgetown Law search.

This Sunday at 1pm, you can catch Mayor Gray, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who chairs the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, and Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper, who will be on hand to welcome District residents.

D.C. Taxicab Commission Chair Ron Linton announced today that the $19 fare cap on taxicab rides within the District will be lifted within the next two weeks. We pity the fool going from Penn Quarter to Friendship Heights...

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Citing bad press and a bad economy, Roberto Donna has shuttered his latest endeavor - Galileo III. The news came as a surprise even to Donna's landlord, who, despite long-running litigious relations, noted that they had not asked Galileo III to vacate the space.

The restaurant didn't even make it a year, having opened in October of 2010. There's no word on where Donna will go next, or what will go into the space at 14th between F and G.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Here in Penn Quarter, we've been fortunate to have the main DC Public Library just steps away at 9th and G NW. We've become recent devotees of the library (in addition to their expansive book collection, they have a substantial number of DVDs for lending, as well as downloadable eBooks, video and music), so we were saddened to learn that effective this Sunday, October 2nd, the library will no longer have Sunday hours.

A representative from the library said, "when faced with having to reduce library hours as a result of the FY2012 budget, closing the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Sundays, as difficult as it is, was the least painful option." According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, the budget figure needed to keep the library open on Sunday was $316,000.

The MLK Jr. Library was the last of the DC libraries to be open on Sundays. Need a fix on a Sunday? Looks like the closest Sunday library to Penn Quarter is Arlington's Central Library.

SEPTEMBER 30 UPDATE: The library WILL remain open from 1p-5p on Sundays. See our story here: http://bit.ly/oO2t0W.

And now, DDOT has let us know that construction will be taking place on the Massachusetts, H Street and K Street overpasses to 395, starting in early October. Construction activities are scheduled to take place Monday through Friday between 9 am and 4 pm and may also occur on weekends as needed. At a minimum one lane will be kept open per direction on each of the bridges. The construction will last eighteen months.

The project will rehabilitate these bridges, upgrading the bridge surfaces and improving the drainage system, traffic signals, street lighting and sidewalks. Electrical-mechanical upgrades will also be made to the Air Rights Tunnel below the bridges. The upgrades will provide better lighting and air exchange within the tunnel for travelers who use the tunnel (The Air Rights Tunnel is part of what is commonly referred to as the 3rd Street Tunnel). We're hoping that these upgrades will pave the way, so-to-speak, for the project we reported on last April - developing the space above 395 into green space and retail/office buildings, but we have no official word on that yet.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The August 23rd earthquake set all of Washington shaking - but the most notable damage was to the Washington Monument. In this video, you can watch the inside of the Monument as the 5.8 quake rumbles through. The Monument has been closed since the earthquake, and the National Park Service reports that while the closure is temporary, there are no current plans to reopen it.

Today, the Monument gets a check-up by way of one brave engineer, who is rappelling the building now. See the live video, courtesy of the Washington Post. We are hoping that today's expedition brings us more information from the NPS regarding the Monument's reopening - we will keep you posted as we know more.

Monday, September 26, 2011

One of the most annoying things about leaving out of the Navy/Archives/Penn QuarterMetro stop is that the cell phone coverage is terrible. For AT&T customers, it is non-existent. Though service is available and strong at Gallery Place and Metro Center, Navy-Archives falls short.

Metro is required, as part of a deal with Congress, to upgrade the system for better cellular service. In exchange, they get $1.5 billion in federal funding.

Metro, however, blames the wireless companies, saying it's up to them to make the upgrades. Those companies are paying WMATA more than $50 million over 25 years to make the upgrades, but WMATA still insists it is up to them.

The legislation in the deal with Congress, however, set deadlines. By October 2009, Metro was to have service in the 20 busiest underground stations. By October 2012, it is supposed to have the entire system wired and active. Metro, however, had promised that the remaining stations would have service by this fall.

Metro does, however, say that this work has priority over all other projects, except those that are safety-related, of course. The problem is that they have to have specially trained metro employees accompany the wireless companies in the tunnels, and there are a limited number of these employees.

Looking for a fun, cheap night out in Penn Quarter? Then let us suggest:See the Heir Apparent at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Tickets start at only $19.50 through bloomspot. The show has truly gotten ravereviews, but only runs through October 3rd, so start planning.After dinner, stop by neighborhood tapas favorite, La Tasca. For $20, you get $40 of food and drink, or for $27 you get 3 tapas and a pitcher of sangria.Get the deal here.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Several readers have emailed us about a new initiative taking hold in Penn Quarter: a call to bring playgrounds to the neighborhood.

One reader said the following:

Although this is a wonderfully family-friendly neighborhood in so many ways, the children need a place to play. In the past few years, many children have moved - or been born - into the neighborhood. Hundreds, if not thousands, of additional children go to preschool or elementary school here. And, many thousands of children come to this neighborhood each year as part of their family vacations. Yet, there are no public playgrounds, even at the local schools.

Now a two day event, the National Book Festival descends upon our fair Mall this weekend. You can catch the events from 10am - 5:30pm on Saturday and from 1pm - 5:30pm on Sunday. For those of you with kids, consider arriving at noon on Sunday to catch former NFL-er Chris Draft kick off the "Get Outside... and Read!" program.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

It's a rainy Wednesday but that doesn't mean you should stay inside. Instead:

- Stuff the Bus between 12 and 3 at Chef Geoff's (on 13th between E & F). It's your last chance to do it in the neighborhood, and if you get there between 1 and 2, you can meet Chef Geoff Tracy. He's tweeted that he'll have a gift for anyone who donates. See our earlier post on things needed. Winston Lord, of the deal site govenga.com has reported to PQ Insider that after only 4 days they've been able to get 2,500 pounds of food! Keep up the great work, Penn Quarter!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Want to help the homeless (and maybe also see Mike Isabella while you're at it?)DC Central Kitchen has partnered with Venga in their Stuff the Bus initiative. Today you can catch them at 7th and F to donate the following:

While visiting DC last April, a Norfolk family allegedly discovered an unwelcome surprise at one Penn Quarter Starbucks: a hidden camera pointed towards the restroom toilet. Now, the man and his five-year-old daughter who reportedly found the camera are suing Starbucks for one million dollars. For our lawyer-readership (this is DC, we know there are at least a few of you), you can take a look at the complaint here.

The camera, which was at the Starbucks on 7th and Indiana, was confiscated by the police last April. As the case moves forward, we'll keep you posted. For now, Starbucks has said that they can't directly comment on the investigation, but that they "monitor the seating areas and rest rooms in our stores on a regular basis to identify potential safety or security concerns."

Friday, September 16, 2011

The Tony-award winning musical Parade opens on September 23rd at Ford's Theater, and we're looking forward to checking it out.

As a reminder, residents of the Penn Quarter receive a 20 percent discount on tickets to allFord's Theatre performances (excluding A Christmas Carol). Ford's Theater defines Penn Quarter as the area bordered by 15th Street Northwest and the Center Leg Freeway (Interstate 395) to the west and east, and between New York/Massachusetts Avenues and Pennsylvania Avenue to the north and south. You'll have to show proof of residence at the Box Office once at the theater.

These tickets may be purchased in advance through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 982-2787 or by clicking here. Use promo code PENNQ. Limit of two per person.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Post has reports from an anonymous real estate broker, who says that Eataly's proprietor, Mario Batali, simply can't find the 40,000 square feet of space (plus 8,000 square feet of rooftop for the rooftop beer garden) he'll need for Eataly to be a true success in DC.

Starting September 25th, the 74 - Convention Center/Southwest Waterfront bus will start operating. During peak hours, you can catch the bus every 18 minutes -- 24 minutes all other times.

Penn Quarter's stop is at 7th and Pennsylvania, NW, but you can also catch the bus at the Convention Center, Gallery Place Metro, the Verizon Center or the National Mall. From there you'll make stops at L'Enfant Metro, Waterfront-SEU Station, Nationals Park, Half & O Streets SW, Fort McNair and Buzzard Point.

Additionally, Metro will be launching Next Bus real-time destination screens along the route to make your waiting time a bit more bearable (or at least predictable).

Stop by Riot Act tonight between 5 & 7:30 PM for a happy hour in and about Penn Quarter.The event will focus on plans for the upcoming Penn Quarter Bodega, and will introduce neighbors to Riot Act and each other!

After having a few drinks and snacks, stick around for the comedy act: Riot Act is having a Buy One Get One Free promotion for tonight's performance of "Allah Made Me Funny" at 8:30 PM.

Metro track work this coming weekend will affect our neighborhood more than usual.

Red Line trains will share one track between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square. They are replacing fasteners and installing new emergency phones. The single-tracking will begin at 10:00 p.m. on Friday through the end of Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday between 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., Red Line trains will depart approximately every 10 minutes from Shady Grove and Glenmont. Every other train leaving Shady Grove station will terminate at Dupont Circle. Every other train leaving Glenmont will terminate at Union Station. At all other times during the weekend, Red Line trains will depart approximately every 20 minutes from Shady Grove and Glenmont.

Blue and Orange Line trains will single track between Eastern Market and Stadium-Armory. They will be installing new rails.

Keep this in mind if you are leaving Penn Quarter for 9/11 festivities or if you are coming in for Arts on Foot.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Combos, the pretzel snack, assembles a "board of manliness" to rank America's cities on how manly they are. The board includes actor Lou Ferrigno, baseball pitcher Rollie Fingers, comedian and actress Judy Gold, world beard champion Jack Passion, former professional wrestler Sgt. Slaughter, and professional lumberjack Mike Sullivan.

The board assesses the manliness of a city by measuring the concentration of home-improvement stores, manly occupations, steak houses, and motorcycles. Rankings can also go down by cupcake stores, fancy furniture stores, and the like.

Labor Day means the end of summer, but it also means a free Labor Day Concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

The concert is presented by the Kennedy Center, and takes place on Sunday (September 4th) at 8:00 p.m. Gates open at 5:00 p.m.

Because of security around the Capitol, parking might be tough. So walking or taking the Metro are probably your best bet.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved from the West Lawn to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. You can call 202-416-8113 after 2:30 p.m. on the day of the concert if you suspect the weather might preclude the concert.